Work handling apparatus for applying flocked designs



Dec. 15, 1964 E. W. BORDERS ETAL WORK HANDLING APPARATUS lFOR APPLYING FLOCKED DESIGNS 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS.

EDGFLQ W Boeoses /o/wns 0. Pl/oDe/NG Filed April 16, 1962 w//f/f/f/V//l/f/ m 1f/M rraeA/EYS.

Dec. 15, 1964 E. w. BORDERS ETAL 3,161,543

woRx HANDLING APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLocKED DESIGNS Filed April 16, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS.

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EGAQ 'M BORDE/es Z/o/wns 0. Moog/NG United States Patent O 3 161 543 woRK HANDLING APrAaArUs non ArrLYmo FLOCKED DESIGNS Edgar W. Borders, 1111 S. Wall St., Los Angeles 15, Calif., and Thomas 0. Woodring, Los Angeles, Calif.;

said Woodring assignor to said Borders Filed Apr. 16, 1962, Ser. No. 187,873

Claims. (Cl. 118-621) This invention relates in general to automatic machines employing conventional silk screen and electrostatic tlocking processes to apply flock to fabric of all types in selected patterns and designs. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in such machines for accurately applying a flocked design to a number of separate items in rapid succession without excessive handling of any of the items while wet with adhesive.

Heretofore, machines employed for applying flock to various fabric and cloth items, particularly non-Hat items such as shirts, have required excessive handling during application of the adhesive, movement to llocking station and application of flock. Spoilage has occurred due to the presence of wet adhesive during such handling.

It is therefore an object of this invention to disclose and provide a Hock applying machine wherein the garment or cloth item being treated is not handled by the operator after it is initially positioned on the machine until after the application of ock to the wet adhesive has been completed.

It is another object of the invention to disclose and provide an apparatus adapted to employ conventional silk screen adhesive application and electrostatic flock application processes in cooperation with novel means for moving the items being treated quickly and easily between an adhesive application station and a ilock application station whereby shirts and other garments and cloths may be rapidly coated with adhesive in a preselected design, moved to a flocking station and coated with flock without handling of the item itself.

It is a further object to disclose and provide an apparat-us as indicated above wherein the movement of the garment or item being treated between the adhesive applying station and the flocking station is accomplished automatically and the application of flock to such garment or item is initiated automatically when it is moved to the flock applying station.

It is a still further object of the invention to disclose and provide such a machine wherein the positioning of a silk screen to such item vbeing treated is facilitated by the provision of a light source beneath such item and means to allow transmission of such light to the underside of the item being treated.

Further objects and various advantages of the app-aratus for applying flocked designs, according to the invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art by a consideration of the following description of an exemplary embodiment of such apparatus. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawings in which:

FIG. l is a perspective View of an ememplary embodiment of an apparatus for applying flocked designs according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged transverse section of the apparatus of FIG. 1 taken ltherein along the plane II-II;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view taken yin the plane III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is lan enlarged detailed View of the carriage, table mount and table of the apparatus of FIG. l; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of an alternative embodiment of the apparatus of FIGS. l through 4.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 through 4, an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus for applying flocked designs according to the invent-ion will be described. In general ICC the apparatus includes a base 1, supporting an adhesive applying station, indicated generally at 10; a liock applying station, indicated generally at 20; and means indicated generally at yfor holding a garment or item treated during application of adhesive and ilock and for moving such garment and item between stations without handling by the operator. Such means, indicated generally at 30, comprises: a carriage 40; a table 50; means indicated generally at 60, for holding an item upon said table; and means, indicated generally at 70, for moving said carriage, table and item holding means lfrom an upright position with respect to the adhesive applying station to an inverted generally horizontal position above the liocking station.

The adhesive applying station, indicated generally at 10, may employ conventional silk screen methods of applying adhesive wherein a layer of adhesive material such as a sticking or drying lacquer, a hardenable thermoplastic resin or natural or artificial rubber is spread through a silk screen or stencil upon an item to be liocked. A silk screen 11 or other printing or stencil device for applying adhesive in a predetermined design may be adjustably mounted for moving the screen into and out of an adhesive applying position, shown in FIG. 2, by means of the screen support assembly shown in FIGS. l and 2. Such assembly includes a screen or stencil carrier unit 12, base 13 and telescoping arms 14. Unit 12 may be attached by a sliding bolt connection 15 such that the unit is adjustable laterally of arms 14 :in and out along the top sur-face of base 1. The unit is further adjustable laterally along the longitudinal extent of base 1 since arms 14 may be selectively telescoped. Such movement facilitates accurate positioning of screen 11 over table 50. The weight of unit 12 may be counter-balanced by provision of a spring 16 acting on an extension 17 on one of the arms of arms 14, as shown in FIG. 2. It is preferred that the dead weight of unit 12 hold the screen 11 down over table 50 and that it be held in the up position of FIG. l by provision of a latch 18 hooking onto an extension 17 or by means of a key and slot locking means of conventional form that may bedisposed between the base 1 and arms 14 for that purpose. The counter biasing spring 16 may be employed to make lifting of the unit 12 easier.

In the embodiment of adhesive applying station shown the silk screen 11 and carrier unit 12 are adapted to pivot about base 13 on the telescoping arms 14, in moving between the raised and lowered positions. It is contemplated, within the invention, that the carrier unit 12 may be adapted to be raised and lowered in a generally honizontal position, rather than pivoting, by the provision of conventional means. Such means may include mounting carrier 12 upon a vertical shaft with a spiral thread received iin a portion of -the carrier. The carrier unit is then merely rotated to be raised or lowered, as well as swung away from the table 5t), Iin a horizontal plane. Such disposition of the silk screen 11 and carrier unit 12 may be desirable where large amounts of wet adhesive are ernployed in the adhesive applying operation and spilling of adhesive Vwould otherwise be encountered when the screen and carrier unit are moved to the raised position.

Electrostatic flocking station, indicated generally at 20, includes a removable flock compartment 21 which is disposed on a top portion of base 1 in horizontally spaced relation to the adhesive applying station, as best seen in FIG. l. Electrostatic type flock, of any desired color, is

disposed within removable compartment 21 and by the application of known methods of applying electrostatic high voltage fields, caused to impinge upon any fabric, cloth or item placed` over the opening 22. The flock is generally comprised of needle-like particles which arrange themselves in upstanding relation, like fibers in a pile rug,V

and adhere to the item being ocked only where the adhesive has been applied at the adhesive applying station. Only the pontion of the item being treated which overlies the compartment 21 is exposed to the flock which prevents the flock from getting into seams or stitching in articles being flocked such as shirts and similar garments. Different colors of flock may be employed in successive operations on the same item by interchanging the removable flocking compartment with another containing a different colored iiock. In such instances, the adhesive for attaching each colo-r must be applied in stages, once for each color used.

After a first color of ock has been applied to a design, the screen 11 must again be carefully aligned with such design before application of further adhesive for additional ocking of a different color. Considerable handling of the item being flocked, between flocking and adhesive applying stations, is thus experienced and accurate alignment of the screen each time adhesive is applied necessitated. This invention is particularly directed to this problem of moving the item being ocked between stations and providing mechanism which will facilitate accurate alignment of the silk screen 11 with relation to an item held on table 50.

Means for holding and moving an item being treated between the adhesive and ocking stations are indicated generally at 30. A carriage 40, having a handle 41, is adapted to slide upon the base 1 upon base trackways 2 provided in a base trackway plate 3 disposed upon a top surface of base 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Carriage 40, base 1 and plate 3 are ported as indicated generally at 4. A light source 5 is provided within the base 1, below carriage 40, adapted to direct light upwardly through the ported base 1, plate 3 and carriage 40 toward table 50. Table 50, preferably made of a translucent material, is supported upon carriage by a table mount adjustably mounted on carriage 40. Table mount 45 may include two generally U-shaped channels 46 and 47 respectively, attached to carriage 40 along one leg to cantilever table 50 over the port, indicated generally at 4, extending through the carriage 40, plate 3 and base 1.

Means for tensioning and holding an item placed upon 'the cantilevered translucent table 50 are indicated generally at 60. Such tensioning and holding means, in the exemplary embodiment, include a pair of hinged side clamps 61 and 62, respectively which are hinged to rthe table mount 45 along the lower legs of generally U-shaped channel members 46 and 47. A spring 63 acting on clamps 61 and 62 through arms 64 and 65, respectively, biases the clamps into the closed position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is contemplated that such means could also be provided in the form of hinged arms hinged along the vertical web portion of channels 46 and 47, swinging in a horizontal plane in FIGS. 1 and 2 with outwardly biasing compression springs disposed between such arms and the channels 46 and 47. Such tensioning and holding means would normally be held open by its bias and could be held closed upon the Iitem 6, shown in FIG. 2 on 4table 50, by conventional fasteners or magnetic catches. In the embodiment shown, the clamps 61 and 62 are normally held closed by the bias of spring 63 and are spread by the operator to insert item 6 on table 50. The tensioning and holding means do not interfere with the illumination of item 6 from light source 5 yet serve to securely hold and tension such item upon the table 50.

Means for moving carriage 40, table mount 45 and table 50 from the upright position with respect to the adhesive station, indicated at 10, as shown in FIG. 1, to an inverted generally horizontal position above opening 22 of the flocking station, indicated generally at 20, shown in FIG. 4, are provided, as indicated generally at '70. In the exemplary embodiment, such means include a hinged plate 71 adapted to lie upon base 1 in the down position of FIGS. 1 and 2. In such down position, hinged plate trackways 72 provided on the top surface of plate 71 are CII adapted to align with trackways 2 on base trackway plate 3. Carriage 40 may then slide laterally along the top of base 1 upon plates 3 and 71 and the trackways 72 and 2 respectively. Stops at either end of the carriage travel along the base 1 may be provided as the stops 73 and 74 on plate 71 and stop 7 in FIG. 2, on plate 3. Such sliding movement of carriage 40 may be accomplished manually by the operator of the apparatus, facilitated by handle 41, or by automatic means shown in the further exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5 subsequently described.

Hinged plate 71 is provided with a pair of angle arms 75 and 76 which are pivoted on shaft 77. The hinged plate shaft 77 is journaled on a pair of stands 78 and 79, respectively, spacing shaft or axle 77 vertically above the top surface of base 1 and above the plate 71. The journal stands 78 and 79 are positioned adjacent the flocking compartment 21 and the arms 75 and 76 are adapted to swing the hinged plate 71 (and carriage 40 and table 50 when disposed on plate 71) into inverted, generally horizontal position above the opening 22. Thus, an operator of the apparatus need merely move carriage 40 from beneath the silk screen unit 12 along base 1, from right to left in FIG. l, to the position shown in phantom line in FIG. 4. The entire carriage, table mount, table and item being treated may then be rotated about axle 77, on the hinged plate 71, into inverted position over the flocking station, indicated generally at 70, without manual handling of the adhesive treated item 6. The actuation of the electrostatic flocking compartment 21 may be accomplished by the operator pressing a button or switch, or, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5, by the movement of the means indicated generally at 70 itself.

An alternative embodiment of the apparatus for applying flocked designs employing automatic controls is shown, partially schematically, in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the adhesive applying station is indicated at 10, the ocking station at 20.

Means for automatically operating the means for moving carriage are provided. Such automatic means include the provision of a continuous chain 81 mounted on sprocket wheels 82 and 83. A generally vertical yoke 84 depending from carriage 149 may engage a -pin 85 on chain 81 to move the carriage between the adhesive station 10 and flocking station I20 automatically upon the operation of motor means M1. A normally closed microswitch 86, held open by arms 14 of means for moving the silk screen 11, may be adapted to actuate a timing device T, adapted to first actuate motor M1 to operate chain 81 through one-half a revolution, moving carriage 140 from the adhesive station to the position shown in solid line of FIG. 5; then stopping motor M1 and starting motor M2 to rotate shaft 77 to invert table over the flocking compartment 21; stopping motor means M2 and starting the electrostatic Hocking operation; stopping such ocking operation, reversing motor means M2 to return table 150 to carriage 140 on base 1; and restarting motor M1 to return carriage 140 to the adhesive applying station indicated generally at 10. Such timing devices T may be of the generally known type for sequentially timing multiple controls.

It can be seen from the foregoing description that the apparatus according to the invention is adapted to receive a garment, cloth article of any item capable of receiving flock upon the translucent table 50. The holding and tensioning means, indicated generally at 60, may be then adjusted to securely hold and tension such item on table 50. The operator may then lower screen unit 12, by its own weight upon release of latch 18, and very accurately align screen 11 laterally of table 50 over the item to be treated. The light source 5 facilitates such alignment particularly where a pattern or partial design has already been flocked upon the item and screen 11 is to be aligned therewith for further application of adhesive and ock. Upon raising the silk screen unit, the operator may operate abutton, or the automatic acting microswitch S6, to institute the automatic action previously described. In the manual operation, t'ne operator st-ill need not handle the item being treated, but merely grasps carriage 40 and slides it upon the trackways to the plate 7. The plate '71 is then easily moved into inverted position over the flocking compartment. Shaft 77 may be given a counterclockwise bias, as by a torsion spring operably disposed between shaft 77 and stands 7S and '79, to counterbalance most of the weight or" carriage 40, table mount 45 and table 50 to make such manual movement easier. The item being liocked is thus disposed over the opening 22 with only the portion to be treated exposed to the flock. No loose tlock is caught in seams, yoke or olded parts of the item treated. Alfter the electrostatic flocking operation is completed, the carriage may be swung back into upright position on base Il and slid back toward the adhesive table where, after the finished item is removed, the next successive article to be treated may be readily inserted. The complete operation may be accomplished very rapidly upon successive items, including successive operations on the same item with different colored flock, without the need for an operator to handle the treated item at any time that it is wet with adhesive. This not only speeds up the iiocking operation but eliminates spoilage heretofore experienced due to excessive handling of the items during treatment.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not directed to any particular type of electrostatic flocking method or silk screen adhesive application method and is capable of being used with different `forms of each. Moreover, the invention is not limited to any specific form of automat-ic timing means for automatically and sequentially operating the various parts of the apparatus to accomplish the flocking of an item treated.

Having thus described an exemplary embodiment of the invention, it is noted that other embodiments, modilications and adaptations that come within the scope of the invention may be made and that the invention is defined and limited only by the following claims.

We claim: 1. In a ock applying apparatus of the character described, the provision of movable carriage means adapted to hold and support an item to be treated, said movable means being movable between an adhesive applying station and a flock applying station, and

hinged plate means hinged upon a vertically spaced axle adjacent said ock applying station, said plate means being adapted to be swung between an inverted position over said ock applying station and an upright position adjacent said flock applying station; automatically operating means for moving said movable carriage means onto and oil of said hinged plate means between said adhesive applying station and an upright position on said plate means adjacent said Hock applying station; and

automatically operating means to swing said hinged plate means between said inverted position over said ock applying station and said upright position adjacent said flock applying station.

2. A device as in claim 1 wherein said apparatus includes an electro-static iiocking compartment at said flock applying station and means for automatically energizing the compartment when the hinged plate means and movable carrier means are swung into inverted position over said compartment.

3. In an apparatus including an adhesive applying station and a horizontally spaced iiocking station including a removable upwardly opening electro-static flocking compartment, the provision of means for easily and rapidly moving an item to be docked between the stations, said means comprising:

a table to receive an item to be iiocked;

a carriage mounting said table and clamp means for holding an item on said table;

means for mounting said carriage for movement between an upright position at said adhesive applying station and an upright position adjacent said iiocking station; and

carriage receiving and inverting means adjacent said flocking station for receiving said carriage and moving it independently of said means for mounting said carriage between said upright position adjacent said iiocking station and an inverted position over said upwardly opening electro-static flocking compartment.

4. An apparatus for rapidly and accurately moving an item to be Hooked from an adhesive applying station to an inverted position over a flocking station, comprising:

a work table for receiving an item to be flocked;

carriage means for movably supporting said work table; clamp means associated with said carriage means and table for holding said item tensioned upon said table;

guide means for guiding said carriage means to and away from said adhesive applying station; and

hinged plate means for receiving said carriage means from said guide means and for moving said carriage means, work table and item independently of said guide means into an inverted position over a flocking station.

5. An apparatus for rapidly and accurately moving an item to .be ocked from an adhesive applying station to an inverted position over a Hocking station and back again, comprising:

a base mounting an adhesive applying station;

a liock applying station on said base horizontally spaced from said adhesive applying station and presenting an upwardly opening flock discharging aperture; a table adapted to receive and hold an item to be treated at said stations; a movable carriage supporting said table; trackway means on said base for guiding said movable carriage from an upright position beneath said adhesive applying station to an upright position adjacent said ock applying station; and means adjacent said flocking station for receiving said carriage from said trackway means and for moving said carriage and table from said upright position adjacent said ilock applying station to an inverted position over said flock applying station in register with said upwardly opening flock discharging aperture and back to said last named upright position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,950,373 3/34 Depenbrock lOl-407 2,087,260 7/37 Miller 11S- 206 X 2,195,731 4/40 Magener et al. 118-500 2,221,338 11/40 Wintermute 118--624 2,261,138 11/41 Bullerjahn 118-314 2,696,167 12/54 Babbitt et al. 118-503 X 2,930,345 3/60 Jacobsen et al. 118-6 FOREIGN PATENTS 408,842 1/25 Germany.

OTHER REFERENCES German printed application 1,070,924, Dec. 10', 1959. RICHARD D. NEVIUS, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A FLOCK APPLYING APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, THE PROVISION OF: MOVABLE CARRIAGE MEANS ADAPTED TO HOLD AND SUPPORT AN ITEM TO BE TRATED, SAID MOVABLE MEANS BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN AN ADHESIVE APPLYING STATION AND A FLOCK APPLYING STATION, AND HINGED PLATE MEANS HINGED UPON A VERTICALLY SPACED AXLE ADJACENT SAID FLOCK APPLYING STATION, SAID PLATE MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO BE SWUNG BETWEEN AN INVERTED POSITION OVER SAID FLOCK APPLYING STATION AND AN UPRIGHT POSITION ADJACENT SAID FLOCK APPLYING STATION; AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID MOVABLE CARRIAGE MEANS ONTO AND OFF OF SAID HINGED POATE MEANS BETWEEN SAID ADHESIVE APPLYING STATION AND AN UPRIGHT POSITION ON SIAD PLATE MEANS ADJACENT SAID FLOCK APPLYING STATION; AND AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING MEANS TO SWING SAID HINGED PLATE MEANS BETWEEN SAID INVERTED POSITION OVER SAID FLOCK APPLYING STATION AND SAID UPRIGHT POSITION ADJACENT SAID FLOCK APPLYING STATION. 